


Do you have a light?

by flickerofs



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Baker Harry, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, OT5 Friendship (One Direction), Party, Self Confidence Issues, Tattoo Artist Louis Tomlinson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:55:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28741365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flickerofs/pseuds/flickerofs
Summary: The door swung open, and Harry was met with one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. With disheveled, caramel hair, and tanned skin, eyes that were endless pools of blue, a small stature, and a jumper he was absolutely swimming in, it seems that Harry needn’t blow out the birthday candles. His wish was standing right in front of him.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoy! This is a work in progress, so please let me know what you all think, and if you have any suggestions! Please comment and leave kudos if you enjoyed!

Harry knew exactly what he was walking into. His closest friends (and coincidentally also his flatmates) had tried their best to be sneaky with the plans for his birthday, but lovingly, they had failed spectacularly.

His first hint had been when he had walked in on all of them whispering frantically among themselves when they thought he was in the shower. When he walked into their living room with his hair wrapped up in a towel, the conversation had stopped in its tracks. At first, Harry thought he may have forgotten to get dressed after his shower, but upon a quick check, he knew he was clothed (well, he was just in joggers, but as he was in his own home, he thought that would be enough).

“Alright mates?” he asked hesitantly as he fully stepped into the room. They were all looking at him with a mix of panic and exasperation as if he had done something to fully offend them and also mildly scare them at the same moment.

“Just fine, H! Why do you ask?” Liam's voice always sounded higher when he was lying. Right now he could have passed for a soprano in the choir.

“You lot are all staring at me as if I’ve ruined the evening by deep conditioning my hair. You weren’t wanting us to go out tonight, were you? I thought we had agreed on takeaway and Netflix. While I love a pub night, I could really just use the night in after the work week I’ve had.” Harry had recently made the decision to put the business degree he had obtained to good use, and actually open up his own bakery, instead of just being an employee for someone else. While everyday was rewarding, the hours were really starting to take their toll on him. They hadn’t even had dinner yet, and he was ready to fall asleep ten minutes into whatever film they ended up choosing.

“No, Haz. We want to stay in too. We were just arguing about what takeaway to order. Maybe we were looking at you with dread, but only because we both know you’ll veto all the best options for something a bit healthier,” Niall said with a nervous chuckle. He was more successful at lying than Liam, but Harry had been friends with them both since primary school, and he knew all of their tells at this point. Something was up, but he decided not to push it right now. Honestly, he was too exhausted to get into it with them.

“Normally, you would be correct to assume that, but honestly I’m craving a pizza. I’m in the mood to eat something greasy. Think I deserve it after being on my feet all day.”

And so that was Harry’s first clue that something was up. Usually, being the slightly self deprecating person he was, he would think the worst. He would assume that his best friends no longer wanted him around and that they were secretly plotting a way to force him to move out of their shared apartment. For once however, his assumptions were more positive. His 25th birthday was quickly creeping its way closer, and as they had yet to ask him how he wanted to celebrate, he had a hunch they were cooking up a surprise.  
The next few weeks went by in a similar fashion. For the most part, nothing seemed amiss within their flat, but occasionally, the conversation would come to a dead halt when Harry entered the room. He decided it best to just let them have their fun, and act like he had no idea about whatever they were plotting to do. One night however, they failed at being stealthy, and unknowingly let the gist of the plans slip.

_They assumed Harry to be long asleep on the couch, and for the most part, he was. He had been dozing on and off for the better part of the last hour, and had at some point shifted so that he was lying across the too small loveseat instead of sitting upright. His loving, slightly idiotic roommates had obviously assumed he was completely gone at this point, so they thought it safe to have a conversation about their super, secret, special plans while he “slept” next to them. As soon as he heard them beginning to converse, he was pulled out of the light doze he had managed to settle into._

_“So, we’re all set for the party, yeah?” Niall was trying his best to speak in a low tone, but his voice was one that always seemed to carry no matter how hard he tried._

_“As set as we can be, Ni. I’ve invited the usual crowd, you said you’d take care of food and drinks, and I’ll try to find a cake that will live up to his standards. Hopefully we can pull it off. Harry does so much for everyone else, I just want to give him a nice surprise on his birthday,” Liam stated in a much softer tone than Niall had spoken in previously._

Harry knew then, that he would have to take the fact that he knew of their plans to the grave. They were really trying their best to do something they thought he would enjoy for his big day, and he was just going to go along with it.

🎈

His birthday started off like every other day of work. His alarm went off at 4, much too early for anyone to feel human. He hit snooze twice before he stumbled out of the bed and into the shower. He felt his resolve to hire more employees strengthen in that moment. No one should have to get up at 4 a.m. on their birthday, especially when their birthday was in February, and it was so very cold outside.

Harry went through the motions of getting ready for the day methodically. Soon enough, he found himself unlocking the door of the bakery, and quickly began to prepare for the day ahead. By 7, his favorite (only) employee Eleanor had clocked in, and was working the till as Harry slipped another loaf of banana bread into the oven. By 9, Harry had received phone calls from his mum and step-dad Robin, his nan, and his sister Gemma. Surprisingly, his flatmates had yet to ring him, but he rationalized this fact by assuming they may not be awake yet. He forgets that not everyone is as early a riser as he is. He spends the rest of his morning filling orders and the display case, humming along to whatever playlist was currently floating through the speakers.

Around noon, he heard the front bell of the bakery ring, and was not all that surprised to hear Niall’s booming voice echo throughout the small space.

“Where’s the birthday boy then?” Niall proclaimed as he pushed his way through the swinging door into the back kitchen of the shop. “We have a birthday lunch to get to!”

Harry glanced at his Irish friend, mind a bit muddled with thought of pastries and cakes. He had a big order being picked up this afternoon, and while he had technically already completed all the specified items, he was doubting if he should have made the lemon cookies, and was thinking of replacing them with a simple sugar cookie instead. “What birthday lunch? Can’t we just celebrate after I get off work tonight?” Harry knew his voice was pouty almost to the point of a whine, but he couldn’t help it. He was nervous about this order. It was his first catering event He’d done since opening his bakery two months prior, and he wanted it to be perfect.

Niall rolled his eyes. “The birthday lunch Liam and I told you about last week? I swear, if a conversation has nothing to do with icing sugar, or caramel you completely tune it out. Besides, we did wait until you were off of work. The lovely Eleanor has agreed to watch the shop for the rest of the day. No one should be shackled to a bakery counter on their birthday. So, grab your coat! We’re leaving in five, I don’t care if I have to drag you out by the belt loops.”

Harry wanted to argue so very badly. He wants to stay at the bakery and make sure the rest of the day runs smoothly. He wants to be there when the doctor's office down the street comes to pick up their catering order, and see if they are happy with the lemon cookies or if he needs to whip up a batch of sugar cookies and run them down to the office as soon as they're done. He wants to make sure nothing goes wrong, and that the business he has poured his heart and soul into stays afloat. But, in reality he knows that taking an afternoon off will do nothing to jeopardize that. He knows that Eleanor is completely capable of taking care of things for the rest of the day, and he knows he should just go along with whatever scheme his best friends have cooked up for his birthday. Still though, he has to worry a bit.

“Eleanor, are you sure you’re okay with watching the store?” Harry frets even as he pulls his coat on and pushes a beanie onto his head.

Eleanor rolls her eyes at him. “Yes, boss man, I think I can handle an afternoon here alone, seeing as you are here alone most days by this time.”

“I just don’t want to work you too hard. Or overwhelm you and make you want to quit. It’s a lot to do on your own,” Harry sighs worriedly as he glances to where Niall is waiting on the sidewalk.

Eleanor gets a soft look in her eyes. “Yes Harry, it is a lot to do on your own. Which is why you deserve to be away from it all for a few hours, especially on your birthday. Don’t worry so much! A mid afternoon rush won’t send me screaming from the place. I love the free sweets too much to quit now.”

“If you’re sure…” Harry trails off, hand on the door. He feels so much guilt for leaving early, and he knows he shouldn’t. He knows he should let himself have a relaxing day with his friends, but he just can’t relax fully.

“I’m completely sure. Now, go!” Eleanor laughs. “God help us all if you ever have an actual child to leave with someone instead of just a business.”

Harry rolls his eyes at her this time. “Think I need to have a relationship that lasts longer than 5 minutes before you name yourself godmother of my fictional children, El.”

Eleanor laughs at him. Actually laughs at him. “Well, maybe this afternoon will be a good step in the right direction. Maybe you’ll finally loosen the reigns a bit, and see that to date someone long term, you actually have to free your schedule up enough to go on dates with them.”

Harry opens his mouth to send a snarky response her way, but is startled by a knocking on the window. Niall points at his watch exasperatedly. It was already almost 12:30, and they were supposed to have met Liam 15 minutes ago at Harry’s favorite cafe.

Harry looks at Eleanor and sighs. She really was the best employee he could’ve asked for. “Okay, but if you need me for any reason, please call. I mean it,” he says sternly.

“Yes, yes. You are always available and I can call you if I need you. I know all of this Harry, now go! Celebrate your birthday,” she huffs at him.

“Love you, El!” he grins cheekily as he exits the shop. Niall looks ready to brain him at the fact that they’re running late, and that gives Harry pause. Niall is usually all for being late. Whatever they’ve planned today must have them on a tight schedule.

Liam gives him a hug and a shout of “happy birthday!” as soon as he’s walked through the door of the cafe. He has also taken the liberty to order him his favorite chicken caesar salad, the one that is topped with deep fried ravioli (not healthy whatsoever, but terribly delicious). They settle into the table, and all tear into their meals. Harry realizes belatedly that he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday, as he accidentally slept through dinner last night. He decides that it’s best not to mention this fact to his friends, as they worry too much as it is.

As they’re nearing the end of the meal Niall finally speaks up, giving Harry a clue as to what the rest of the day holds. “Listen mate, we have planned a pretty great birthday for you. I don’t want to spoil it all right off the bat, but I will tell you what we’ll be getting up to this afternoon-”

“By us, he means you and him Haz, sorry I do actually have to work for a bit today,” Liam interjects sheepishly. It was a Saturday, and Harry had never known Liam to ever work a Saturday before, but he decided not to mention it now, knowing whatever Liam is doing this afternoon is most likely to do with his not so surprise party.  
“As I was saying,” Niall says dryly, “We have to run pretty quickly, if we want to be on time for what is essentially your birthday present.”

“Ooh, what is it?” Harry asked eagerly, bouncing in his seat a bit. His friends knew he preferred experiences to actual gifts, and he always loved whatever they had planned for him. Last year, they had taken him to the aquarium, and he got to go backstage and pet a penguin. He still has the picture they took of him with the penguins set as his lock screen.

“Well, we know how stressed out you’ve been with getting the bakery up and running, so we thought it may be nice to have a relaxing day, and do the whole spa thing?” Niall had a doubtful tilt to his voice, as if he was unsure if this was actually something Harry would be up for.

Harry felt an overwhelming wave of emotion come over him. His friends cared for him so deeply, and they had the most lovely ways of showing it. He knew that going to a spa might not be Niall’s first choice of how to spend an afternoon, much preferring a day on the golf course, but Harry absolutely knew that Niall would be so very enthusiastic about everything they did at the spa.

“That sounds perfect Niall. Thank you both so much for treating me to such a lovely birthday,” Harry said, with emotion evident in his tone.

“Aw, Hazza, you know we love you. We thought that We’d follow the spa up with a quiet night in, but if you feel up to it, we’ll make it a point to go out this weekend,” Liam grinned, the pitch of his voice only slightly higher than usual.

“That’s a plan, mates,” Harry knew deep down that it wasn’t actually the plan, but he was so endeared by what his friends were doing for him he would never ruin it now.

Five hours later, and Harry was feeling more relaxed than he had in months. His day at the spa with one of his best mates had been just what he needed. They had gotten facials, massages, and Harry even talked Niall into getting a manicure and pedicure with him. Harry was now sporting light blue nails and toes, and he had picked a pretty dark purple for Niall to wear.

“Niall, this has been perfect,” Harry smiles, as he tips his head against the passenger seat. “That massage literally added years to my life. I swear I fell asleep five seconds into it, and woke up with my back feeling better than I had in years,” he sighs.

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Niall laughs. “You definitely snored loud enough through the whole of it to let me and everyone else there know how relaxed you were.”

“Oi, I don’t snore!” Harry sniffed. He did snore, he knew that, boyfriends of the past, and college roommates had all complained about it, but that doesn’t mean he would ever readily admit it.

“Sure, Haz,” Niall grins. Harry knew that the only reason Niall wasn’t teasing him about it more was the fact that it was his birthday, so he took that as a win, and decided to change the subject.

“We were really lucky to not hit any traffic on the drive home. We’ll be back at the flat a whole half hour before you said we would,” Harry says conversationally. He didn’t know how he expected Niall to react to his attempt at small talk, but he certainly did not expect him to go pale and look frantically around, as if willing traffic into existence.

“Oh! I forgot,” he stammered quickly. “We actually need to stop by the store before we head home. Liam texted, and said he needed, um, onions to finish up dinner.”

Harry frowned. “We have onions. They’re in the pantry. Also, what dish is Liam making that has him putting onions in to finish it? I always put them in at the start.”

Niall shrugged helplessly. “I couldn’t tell ya, mate. But he’s really adamant that we need to get these onions, or your birthday dinner will be absolutely ruined, so I think it’s probably best that we stop at Tesco’s and grab a bag.”

And oh. Harry knew what was going on now. Niall was stalling. Liam must have given him a set time to return to the flat, and they were early. So Niall decided the best way to stall was to make up a Tesco trip to buy onions. Alright.

Harry allowed himself to be drug to the store, gave his opinion on exactly which type of onion they needed to buy (he convinced Niall to buy the same exact kind he had in the pantry at home, so he at least knew that they wouldn’t go to waste), and he also pretended to not notice Niall checking his phone every five seconds.

So yes, by the time Harry and Niall actually returned to the flat, he knew exactly what to expect. He was not going to be surprised in the slightest by the party that was definitely happening in his flat, but he was ready to put on the best act of his life.

Niall was chatting about something insignificant as they made their way from the lift to the door of their apartment. Harry was not listening, but rather trying to keep his features schooled, and also trying to recall how to make a surprised face for his big entrance. Niall turned the key into the lock, letting them into the dark flat.

Which was odd. Harry frowned, “Wasn’t Liam supposed to be home cooking dinner?” Honestly, he knew it was all a ruse, but they didn’t know he knew. They should really step up their game.

“Well, um, maybe he had to run out,” Niall laughed anxiously. He turned from the tight front hall into their living room, and suddenly all the lights were flipped on.

A collective shout of, “SURPRISE!” went up, and Harry did his best to look shocked. He didn’t have to try and act happy however, as he looked around the room and took in all the friends and family that had showed up to celebrate his birthday. The room had been decorated for the occasion, with glittering streamers and balloons strewn about. Somebody turned the music back on, and his guests began to approach him to wish him a happy birthday.

Gemma immediately tackled him into a hug. “You weren’t surprised at all, were you?” she murmured into his ear. “God, I knew you couldn’t lie for shit Haz, but maybe mum should have put you into acting lessons as a child, that performance was just pathetic”

“Heyyy,” he drawled. “You try to do better. I’ve known that this was gonna be happening for weeks, and I’ve done my best to not let on that I knew. Didn’t want to ruin the lads' fun, I guess, but it’s hard when they make it so obvious.”

Gemme laughed and pinched his cheek. Her cheeks, he noticed, already had a rosy quality to them that let him know the drink she was holding was not her first of the night. He would have to play catch up for a bit to be on the same level of drunkenness as the rest of the party goers.

And catch up he did. He had arrived at the party around 6, and by 9 he was feeling well on his way past tipsy. He had just sat down in his favorite chair, which had been occupied by a rather enthusiastic couple for most of the night, when Niall and Liam stumbled over to him. Niall had obviously been playing catch up with the drinks as well, and Liam was going to be lucky to remember any of this the next morning, if his current state was anything to go by.

“H,” Liam slurred, “We have a bit of a problem.” His large brown eyes, while glazed over in a haze of alcohol, looked up at him sadly, as though someone had stolen the last cookie.

“What’s wrong Li?” Harry cooed, as he tried to pull him in for a cuddle. Harry was an affectionate drunk. Sue him for it.

“Well, we got you a birthday cake. Really wicked one too, mate. Very up to your standards. I had El help me pick out which bakery to use and it turned out super nice if I do say so myself. We even got the fancy sparkler candles for the top of it. Thought they’d make for a nice picture for your artsy Instagram. But, we forgot to get matches, or a lighter. And none of the other guests seem to have one either. So, I don’t know what to do.” Liam really did look distressed at the predicament they had found themselves in.

Harry took pity on them. “Did you check the hall closet? I usually keep extra matches in there if there are none in the kitchen”

Niall hiccuped and attempted to climb into the chair on top of Harry. “We’ve looked everywhere mate. I guess we ran out and no one ever added them to the shopping list. Now, your birthday is going to be ruined, and you’ll hate us forever.” Niall had seemed to not only catch up to the other guests states of drunkenness, but surpass them if his misty eyed monologue was anything to go by.

“Aw, Nialler, I could never hate you lads. It’s no big deal. I don’t need to blow out the candles. We can just go ahead and cut the cake,” Harry appeased. He wasn’t all that chuffed about blowing out the candles anyway.

“No, you have to blow them out and make your wish!” Niall whined petulantly. “So, we were wondering, do you think the neighbors may have a light? And can you go ask them about it? We know it’s your birthday, and technically we should be the ones doing things for you, but out of the three of us, you appear most sober and ready to meet the other tenants, and we would hate for either of us to be sent to jail for public intoxication if the neighbors turn out to not be very neighborly,” Niall slurred with a grin.

Harry sighed. While he usually wouldn’t mind knocking on a neighbors door, he didn’t necessarily think it the best night to make introductions. But, his friends seemed pretty determined that he was going to blow out the candles on his cake, so he supposed now was as good a time as ever to say hello.

He stumbled into the hallway, tripping over the doormat. His vision was slightly hazy, but he straightened his shoulders,and knocked on the door directly across from his own. He realized after knocking, that it was a bit late, and that his neighbor could be sleeping, but it was too late now. He heard feet shuffling towards the door.

The door swung open, and Harry was met with one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. With disheveled, caramel hair, and tanned skin, eyes that were endless pools of blue, a small stature, and a jumper he was absolutely swimming in, it seems that Harry needn’t blow out the birthday candles. His wish was standing right in front of him.

His wish was standing in front of him staring at him like he was an idiot. Harry realized belatedly that the beautiful, adonis like man had most likely said something, and Harry had just continued to gaze at him instead of hearing what he said, and answering him like a normal person.

“Er, sorry what?” Harry cleared his throat. He knew he was a tad drunk, but he didn’t realize he was no longer capable of basic human interaction until now.

The pretty man smirked at him. “I was asking how I could help you mate, seeing as you’re at my door.”

Oh. Right. Harry had a goal in mind before being derailed by the neverending blue of the man's eyes. He really needed to pull himself together. He quickly did a survey of his own look. His hair was still pulled back into a bun from his spa day, and was looking quite frizzy around the edges. At some point in the night he had acquired a birthday tiara, and a golden sash that complimented his black mesh top quite well. All in all, he looked decent. Slightly disheveled, but decent.

“Right yes, I did knock on your door,” Harry grinned. “And there was a reason for that. I was wondering, do you have a light?”

“Yeah mate sure,” the pretty man still looked confused by his presence, and he probably had reason to be. “Let me just go grab it. You can wait here.”

Harry watched, enamored as the pretty man eased the door closed directly in his face. He had to get to know his neighbor more. He needed an excuse to have a longer interaction with him. Birthday wishes don’t always come true, but they assuredly did this year.

The man comes back with a standard blue lighter in his hands, and hands it over to Harry somewhat warily.

“There you go mate, don’t burn anything down with it, yeah?” he jokes, at least Harry hopes he’s joking. He looks like he might actually believe that Harry is borrowing the lighter to commit arson, and Harry can’t have that. His future husband needs to know he’s better than that.

“Do you want a slice of cake?” Harry blurts suddenly.

The man looks up at him surprised, and slightly suspicious. “Cake?” he questions.

“Yes! That’s what I’m borrowing the lighter for. Birthday candles. For my birthday cake. Which you are totally welcome to come have a slice of.” Harry really needs to work on his mouth to brain filter. He didn’t regret inviting the man over, but he definitely was oversharing.

“Um, I’m not really dressed for a party,” the man starts awkwardly. Harry thought he was dressed perfectly fine for a party. His purple jumper complimented his grey joggers just fine, and he was honestly probably better dressed in lounge clothes than half the party guests were in their real clothes. If Harry was being honest with himself, he thought the man would look pretty amazing in whatever he was wearing. He could be wearing a garbage bag, and Harry would probably think it was a great compliment to his eyes.

“You look fine,” he insisted. He looked better than fine. He looked like a greek god come to bless them all.

The man hesitated, but the longer Harry gazed at him, he could see his defences coming down. Harry had a good pout face too. Not as great as Liam’s, but still passable.

  
“Alright then curly, you lead the way. I’m never one to pass up free sugar,” the man grinned as he slipped on some vans that had been conveniently left next to the door.

Harry whirled his body around, almost stumbling in his haste to get this beautiful man back into his flat. He didn’t know how he was going to explain the newcomer to Niall and Liam, but that was a problem for future Harry. Current Harry was too busy trying to rationalize all of his decisions to himself to think about what the others may think. Current Harry also thought that it may be important to learn the name of his future partner, as that could make things awkward. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for reading! Please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed! Hopefully I will have the next chapter for you next week.

Harry opened the door to his flat, the music and light spilling into the hall abruptly. You could feel the heat from the amount of bodies packed into their small flat radiating out of the space. The music was thumping, and honestly, Harry was surprised they had not yet received a noise complaint. It seemed his adonis-like companion was also quite surprised. 

“You know, I could hear the music thumping a bit, but I’m no snitch. The people below you are going to get upset eventually, though Curly,” the man said while raising an eyebrow at him. 

Harry scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, it is a bit loud. Hopefully, once everyone gets some cake, it will start clearing out. I hope it wasn’t really loud for you. I swear we aren’t trying to make you hate us.” 

The pretty man laughed, “Mate, I’ve thrown some ragers in my day. No worries that I’ll report you. Just invite me next time, yeah?” 

Harry lit up at the thought. Though he really did not know this neighbor very much, aside from his godlike persona, and apparently chill attitude, he would really like to get to know him more. He would use any excuse he could to make it happen. 

“Yes, please come next time! We don’t do this often, but when we do, I’ll let you know,” Harry smiled dopily at the man. 

They made their way farther into the flat, and were immediately accosted by two overeager flatmates. Niall and Liam did not even take notice of the new member of the party when they realized that Harry had been successful in his mission to find a lighter. 

“Cheers mate, you’ve saved the night!” Niall crowed as he raised the lighter above the crowd, as though expecting a cheer to go up. There was no one paying them any attention whatsoever. 

Liam hurriedly ushered Niall into the kitchen, shouting over his shoulder, “Just a sec and we’ll be ready!” 

The man looked at Harry amusedly. “Nice mates you have there.” 

Harry laughed a little awkwardly. “They’re usually much more polite to company, I swear. Those are actually my flatmates, Niall and Liam.” 

“Good to know, Curly. However, I would actually prefer to know your name, seeing as you’re the only one currently paying me any attention.” The man smiled at Harry, letting him know he only meant the words in a teasing manner. 

Harry then felt a little bit dumb. Not only did this man have no idea what his name was, Harry had no clue to the identity of the man he was ready to marry himself off to either. He laughed a bit awkwardly. 

“Oh I guess that little detail might have been nice before I drug you into my home, huh? It’s- “ 

He was suddenly cut off by his two best friends noisily exiting the kitchen. Liam was carrying a beautiful cake in his hands, a two tiered dessert with marbled blue frosting, and a geometric design running up the side. As promised, sat atop the cake were sparkling candles nestled among flowers made of sugar. Their golden glow was flickering off the happy faces of his best mates, and Harry knew in that moment that he had absolutely made the right decision in pretending to be surprised by this whole affair. He would forever be grateful for the love these men were bestowing on him tonight. 

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you…” The crowd began to sing as they closed in around him, all eager to snap photos of the birthday boy blowing out his candles. His new friend stood rather awkwardly at his side, quietly mumbling along with the rest of the brood. “Happy Birthday dear Harry…” His neighbor did not mumble a name along with the others, but a small smile did appear on his face as he was given the information he had been inquiring after. “Happy Birthday to you!” The song finished, and Harry blew out his candles to a chorus of cheers. He is sure that his dimples were on full display at this point, but for once, he was glad that everyone in the room could see the affection he felt for them. He was so incredibly grateful for these people, the people that had supported him through such a difficult phase of opening his own business, and had never once wavered in their support. 

Liam whisked the cake back into the kitchen to be cut, and the crowd around him relocated, now all eager for a piece of the delicious looking cake that was about to be offered up. His lovely stranger turned to him, eyes crinkling around the edges with the force of the smile he directed Harry’s way. 

“Well, I guess I did get the answer to my question, even if I would have liked to have known it before I was singing you happy birthday,” he said with a laugh. “It’s very nice to meet you, Harry.” 

Harry grinned back. His cheeks were steadily feeling flushed, much more from the attention than the alcohol at this point. Who could blame him though? A gorgeous stranger telling him it was nice to meet him? Far too much to handle. 

“Well, since you know my name now, could I maybe learn yours? Seems a bit rude at this point,” he smirked at him. 

The stranger let out a small chuckle. “Only fair, innit? I’m Louis.” 

Louis. A name fit for the creature in front of him. Regal, but not overbearing. Two syllables. Easy to not mess up. Harry knew he was waxing poetic in his tipsy state, but it was his birthday. He felt warranted in his dramatics. 

“It is very nice to meet you as well, Louis. Now, please! Have some cake and drinks! Enjoy yourself, god knows the rest of us have been,” Harry snorted a laugh. 

Louis grinned. “I think I’ll do just that, thanks Harold.” He walked towards the kitchen, not feeling the need for any further invitation to make himself at home. 

“It’s Harry! Just Harry!” Harry called out weakly, but he was distracted. Oh god. The absolute _arse_ on this man. He really looked much more like a sculpture come to life than a real person. He was plucked from Harry’s personal heaven, and sat right in front of him. Harry felt he needed another drink. 

🎈

A short while later, Niall wandered out of the kitchen, seemingly seeking out something in particular. When his eyes landed on Harry, he perked up, and made a beeline straight toward him. 

“Now Haz, I know I’ve had quite a bit to drink tonight, but I swear there is a bloke in the kitchen I have never met before. He seemed to know me though. Told me how great of a time he was having, how good the cake was, and then asked about you. I had to pretend I knew who he was the whole time, but I’m sure he was not on the guest list!” Niall seemed so perplexed, which was out of character for him. But as he had said, he was quite drunk at this point, as one could tell from the slur of his words. 

Harry laughed brightly. He had been steadily drinking more over the past half hour he had been left to his own devices, and was well past tipsy now. “You don’t know him, Niall. That’s Louis. He’s our neighbor I borrowed the lighter from. I invited him around for some cake as a thank you for bothering him so late.” 

Niall smirked at him. “A thank you, huh? I bet. I also bet it helped his case of getting a free slice of cake that he is well fit too.” 

Harry spluttered. He hated that his mates knew him so well that they could call him out like this. “No, Niall. I was not trying to seduce him with cake. I was just being _neighborly_ ,” Harry emphasized with a wave of his hands. 

Niall snorted. “Sure, keep telling yourself that. Listen, make sure you’re enjoying yourself, okay? This is all for you, H” he said with a wave of his hands as he started to saunter towards a crowd that had formed in their dining space to play beer pong. 

“I will, mate! Love you!” Harry called after him. 

And enjoy himself he did. What felt like minutes, but was probably more than an hour later, he found himself slumped over their too small loveseat, eyes half closed as everything moved around him in a pleasant haze. A large portion of the guests had already cleared out, but the remaining ones seemed to grow louder as the time passed. It was no bother to Harry, however. At this point the mix of alcohol, sugar, and exhaustion from rising at such an early hour was really hitting him. He could fall asleep anywhere at this point. Just as he let his eyes slip all the way shut, he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He pried his eyes open to find Louis standing above him, an amused expression on his face. He still looked just as good as he had earlier, still just as cozy in his fleece jumper and soft pants. 

“Still hanging in there, birthday boy?” Louis asked with a small smile lighting up his face. His eyes had a slight glaze to them, letting Harry know he himself had been enjoying the party too. 

Harry sighed contentedly, “Barely. It is way past my bedtime, that’s for sure. Are you having a good time?” 

“Of course, Curly,” Louis replied softly. “I think I’ll go ahead and get out of your hair now though, let you get some rest. Maybe everyone else will clear out soon.” 

Harry attempted to sit up slightly. “No, please don’t leave on my behalf!” he protested. “I’ll probably put myself to bed soon, but you stay as long as you like. No one will mind.” 

Louis chucked. “That’s alright, Harry. I need to go to bed soon myself. I work tomorrow. But thanks for having me over, it’s been grand. Don’t be a stranger.” he winked as he started to back away from the living area. 

“Thanks for coming!” Harry half shouted, half slurred at his retreating figure. “Oh, and thanks for the light!” 

Louis smiled at him and waved, before turning down the slight hall of an entryway and slipping through the front door. As Harry stared at the door that had just closed behind Louis, he felt someone jostle his legs as they threw themselves on top of them. A slight turn of his head led him to discover that it was a heavily intoxicated Liam, come to get some drunken cuddles from his unassuming flatmate. He had a perplexed look on his face. 

“Who was that?” Liam enquired with a tilt of his head. “I swear I’ve never met him before, but you two seemed quite cozy there.” 

Harry rolled his eyes. “That was Louis. He’s our neighbor. And we were not cozy. We’ve just met tonight.” 

Liam snorted. “Well, could have fooled me. You two seemed to have hit it off very well then.”   
  


And as Harry laid in bed nearly two hours later, after helping his intoxicated party guests and flatmates to find sleeping arrangements for the night, he stared at the ceiling that was spinning slightly and thought. Yes, they had seemed to hit it off well. Now, if only they would see each other again. 

Harry thought of the piercing blue eyes of the man he had stolen glances at throughout the night. The fond gazes the man seemed to toss his way. He was not only attractive, but funny, and seemingly rather sweet. Harry determined it could not be a matter of if they would see each other again, but when. He would find an excuse one way or another to make it happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! You can find me on twitter @flickerofhabit


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hindsight finds Harry feeling that he had been waxing a bit too poetic the night before, but also finds him still determined to get to know Louis. An attempt at contact goes awry when he runs into Louis’ mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates two days in a row! You finally get to meet Zayn in this chapter. Hope it doesn't dissapoint. 
> 
> As always, please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed! I will hopefully update again before next week.

When Harry woke up the next morning, the night before felt almost like a dream. The blur of colors, feelings, and sensations that he found himself recalling felt too much like a scene from a movie to have actually been his real life. 

But it had been. His wonderful best friends had thrown him a lovely party, and he had really found himself enjoying it. It was not often he let himself cut loose as he did last night, especially recently. All his energy had been aimed toward making sure nothing went wrong with the newly opened business he had sunk all of his finances into, and he really hadn’t had any extra energy or time thrown in the mix for fun. Which is why he was so grateful for his friends, his family, and all those who had come out last night to celebrate him. 

He let himself have a bit of a lie in, basking in the warm feelings of the night before. As he ciphered through those warm feelings, his mind was brought back to the man that had been the last thought on his mind the night before. Louis. In his sobriety, he knew that he had romanticized the whole interaction probably a little more than was necessary. Hindsight can always have you regretting past actions. Not that he thought his attraction toward the man was regrettable, no. Quite the opposite. He was assured in the stark clarity that daylight brings that the man had been attractive, and based on his personality, worth pursuing a further relationship with. However, Harry could now realize that he should not be marrying himself off to his new friend quite so quickly. 

Hell, for all he knew, Louis could have a boyfriend. Or a husband. Or, he could be into  _ women.  _ While Harry was still interested in Louis, he knew there was a great chance their relationship could go no farther than a friendship. And he was okay with that. Really. He was. 

After a while of wallowing in his feelings, he determined it was time to greet the world. The world being his two flatmates. The best part of their flat was that due to his hectic work schedule, he had lucked out and been given the master suite, so he had a private bathroom and could freshen up before having to see anyone. Liam and Niall shared a bathroom that also served as their guest bath, and Harry was happy to not be a part of that situation. Contrary to what some might have thought, Liam was the messier of the two in that situation, and it felt that Harry witnessed Niall having to nag at him to pick up wet towels and dirty gym clothes on an almost daily basis.

After going about his morning routine in the bathroom, and allowing himself to partake in a scalding hot shower, Harry opened the door to his room. And was immediately met with chaos. It looked as though their flat had been ransacked. Garbage and debris covered every surface his eyes met, and he shuddered to think about the state of his once spotless kitchen. There were still a few party guests asleep on the furniture in the living room, and neither Niall or Liam seemed to have stirred yet. 

Harry pushed through the wreckage and made his way across their small living space to Niall’s door. It swung open to reveal his best mate still passed out diagonally across his mattress, mouth agape. Harry hated to wake him, he really did look so peaceful. But, alas. It had to be done. He threw himself on top of the mattress and made sure to land an elbow into the side of his best friend. Niall awoke with a whine, and attempted to roll away from the offending object. However, the object was Harry. And Harry was quite a bit larger than Niall, so there was no escape. 

“Get off me, you giant,” Niall groaned into his pillow as he tried to shield himself from any further attacks. 

Harry tsked at him. “No can do, sorry mate. You see, some really great friends of mine surprised me last night with a party. Really great party, good food, great music, better company. However, it seemed somewhere along the way, our flat was  _ completely destroyed.”  _

Niall winced. He knew how Harry could be when it came to the state of his living space. Niall himself was a tidy person, but when it came to parties, it’s not like he was going to go around harping on his guests to use a coaster. “Alright H, I know. I saw it before bed last night. But not to worry, I’m sure it looks a lot worse than it actually is. We’ll get the place cleaned up in no time.” 

Harry raised an eyebrow. “We? You mean I have to clean up after my own surprise birthday party? That hardly seems fair.” 

Niall raised a matching eyebrow in response. “Did you partake in the food, the drinks, the merriment? Yes? Then you can help clean it up. It was bloody hard enough to plan the thing without your help, you can absolutely lend a hand in the cleanup.” 

Harry sighed, his resolve already defeated. He knew he was going to be helping with fixing the flat back up, even before he had thrown himself into Niall’s bed. 

“Alright, you make a convincing argument,” he groaned as peeled himself from Niall’s satiny sheets. 

“I don’t know why you even acted like you wouldn’t be helping, you know you would have just gone behind Liam and I redid everything we tidied,” Nially grumbled affectionately. 

Harry’s cheeks heated up. “Not true. I trust that you all do a good job when you clean up!” he protested. 

Niall laughed, a bright sound in the darkened room. “For a normal cleaning job maybe. Like I said, I may have been drunk last night, but not drunk enough to ignore the absolute wreck our flat is.” 

“Fair enough,” Harry laughed as he walked toward the door. “I’ll go wake Liam up, and maybe one of us can run and grab some food before we get started.” 

“You always have the best ideas, Haz. Now, go wake up Li, and I’ll get started clearing the living room,” Niall rolled himself off the bed, looking far less hungover than one would have expected after a full night of drinking. 

Harry made his way into Liam’s room, and went about waking him up a bit more gently than he had Niall. Liam was known to have debilitating hangovers, and Harry had been on the receiving end of his grumpiness and sick feelings more times than he could count. 

Once they were all up, some better off for it than others (Liam’s complexion had a greenish hue embedded into it), they made the decision to send Niall to pick up some lunch for the three of them. 

While he was gone, Harry and Liam set about waking up the other leftover party guests, and sending them on their way. Everyone thanked them profusely for a great time, and made them promise that another invitation would be extended their way for the next gathering. Truth be told, after seeing the state of his living room today, Harry did not know if he would ever be up to hosting a  _ next time _ again. 

When Niall returned, he brought with him some sandwiches from the deli on the street corner. They were delicious, and while Harry couldn’t imagine the nausea that he would have gotten from the grease dripping from Niall’s roast beef, he was perfectly content with his veggie medley on rye. 

“Guess who I ran into in the hallway?” Niall’s voice was muffled from the food he was currently stuffing into his mouth. “That neighbor bloke Haz fell in love with at first sight last night.” 

Harry perked up. “You saw Louis?! Wait Niall, I’m not in love with him. I told you last night. I was just being nice.” 

Niall cackled. “Yeah because the reaction you just had was just being  _ nice _ . But yes, I saw Louis. He was well fit in the daylight too.” 

Harry spluttered, “Well what did you say to him?? Niall, I swear if you’ve embarrassed me, I will never forgive you.” 

Niall had never stopped eating throughout this whole exchange, and looked far more concerned on working through his pile of chips than paying attention to Harry at this moment. “Didn’t even mention you mate, so don’t know how I could’ve embarrassed you. We just exchanged pleasantries, and he told me how much he had enjoyed the party. That was all.” 

Disappointment bloomed in Harry’s chest. Louis had not even mentioned him to Niall. Maybe their interactions had not been as impactful to Louis as they had been to Harry. Or maybe, Harry’s earlier thought of Louis being otherwise spoken for was correct. 

“Aw don’t look so down, H. He was probably just in a rush. He was throwing you glances all night, from what I can remember. I don’t think you’ll have any problem in getting him to be interested in more than friends,” Liam gently offered up. 

Harry felt a blush spreading across his face. He hated that his mates knew him so well that they could tell how upset he was over this situation. “I’m not down,” he insisted. “Just forget about it, I’m going to start cleaning up in the kitchen.” Harry pushed away from the table and went into the kitchen. He couldn’t see Niall and Liam exchanging looks behind his back, but he could sure feel it. 

⁕

A few hours later, the flat was back to its former state of cleanliness. Harry had managed to scrape frosting off of almost every surface in the kitchen, and Liam and Niall had finished up what hadn’t already been cleaned in the living room and dining area. Luckily, the mess had not seemed to spread to the bedrooms, so they did not have to worry about those. As Harry was doing a final sweep of the floors in the kitchen, before he drug out the mop to get the large amounts of stickiness scourged away, a glint of metal caught his eye underneath the counter. 

Harry stooped down and drug the item out, and was not all that surprised it was Louis’ lighter he had borrowed the night before. He had wondered where it had gotten to, but had assumed that perhaps Louis had taken it with him when he left the night before. He pocketed it, affirming to himself that he would run over to Louis’ flat and return it later in the evening. 

He finished sweeping, and then mopping the floors of the apartment, and proceeded to throw himself down onto the couch for a rest. Niall and Liam had been banished to their bedrooms while he mopped, so for the moment he was alone in the flat's small living room. 

He flicked on the television, tuning it to the food network, but not paying very much attention to the show that was playing. Rather, he let his mind wander. He thought of all the work he had waiting on him when he got to the bakery the next morning. Orders to look over, general stock to make, and supplies that would need to be replenished and reordered for the new month that had technically already begun. It was Valentines month, so he would have an influx of orders. Or he  _ hoped _ that he would have an influx of orders. He would need to order extra stock for certain popular desserts, and make sure that everything was prepared for the busyness of the upcoming holiday. His mental to do list was interrupted by a door opening within the flat. 

“Is it safe to come out yet?” Niall called from the doorway to his room. 

Harry laughed, “Yes, Niall, you can come out.” 

“Cheers,” Niall said as he jumped onto the couch next to Harry. “I heard Liam on the phone, not sure who with though. Assume he’ll join us once he’s done with that.” 

Harry hummed in reply. “What time do you work tomorrow, Ni? Thought about cooking a big dinner, so I wanted to make sure everyone would be home.” 

Niall scrunched his face up, most likely trying to remember his schedule for work. He worked as a music teacher, and often had appointments well into the evening to work around the busy schedules of his students. “Think I should be in around six tomorrow, if everything goes to plan.” 

“Cheers, that would be perfect. Going to make a roast dinner, and it will need a while to cook. I’ll stick it on as soon as I get in from the bakery.” Harry was excited. While baked goods were his usual, he did enjoy cooking all sorts of food, not just sweets. 

“I knew there was a reason we kept you around,” Niall grinned cheekily. He dodged the swat Harry aimed at him with a laugh. 

“Oi, keep it up Horan, and see who’s feeding you soon. Without me, you would be stuck with whatever you and Liam came up with, and neither of you know how to use a proper amount of seasoning in your food,” Harry sniffed. 

Liam chose that moment to enter the living room. “Niall, don’t give Harry a hard time over his cooking, we’ll starve without him.” 

“We would make it Payno, might not have much of a taste for flavor, but we would make it,” Niall shot back. “Now Haz, what’s for dinner tonight?” 

⚘

Later in the evening, Harry remembers the lighter he had pocketed earlier with intentions to return it. After a quick check in the mirror, he slips on his shoes and makes his way into the hall of their building. Louis’ door is directly across from his, and honestly Harry is a bit surprised they had never ran into each other before Harry had forced the meeting last night. 

Harry takes a steadying breath, and knocks on the door. And then he waits. Louis had answered the door promptly the night before, but now there was silence from inside the flat. He waits a moment, and decides to knock again. If there is no answer this time, he’ll try again later. He tentatively knocks once more, a little louder than he had the first time. He begins to hear someone shuffle towards the door and his heart rate quickens, excited to see the man he has thought so much about over the last 24 hours. 

His heart drops though when Louis is not the one to answer the door. Another man, beautiful enough to be a model is now standing before him, looking a little peeved about something. He has black hair, dark brown eyes, a tan complexion, and a jawline that looks as though it could slice through glass. He’s dressed in a black tee with paint splatters and dark wash skinny jeans that also look as though they have lost a battle with a paint brush. He holds a rag in his hands, obviously having to wipe them off to answer the door. Most likely peeved about the interruption, then. There is music thumping from an unknown location in the house, and no Louis in sight behind him. 

“Can I help you, mate?” the stranger asks, staring at Harry expectantly. 

Harry is frozen. He is conflicted. He is staring awkwardly at this stranger and not speaking. ‘Um, yeah,” he starts. “I was looking for Louis. This is his flat, yeah?” Oh god. He was pretty drunk last night. What if he’s at the wrong door? 

The man smirks. “No, you’re in the right place. Lou does live here. He’s not here right now though, can I help you with anything?” 

Harry deflates. His last shred of hope is now gone. “No, it’s fine! I just had something for him. I’m really sorry to bother you. I can see you were busy. Can you just let him know Harry stopped by, but it was nothing super important. Thanks.” He goes to turn away, back towards his flat where he is already planning to take a long bath to forget his sorrows, glitter bath bomb included, and maybe just drown himself while he’s in there.

The man's eyes lit up. “Harry, you said? The Harry from last night? Oh yeah I’ll be sure to let Lou know you stopped by. I  _ know _ he’d want to hear from you. I’m Zayn, by the way. His  _ best mate _ .” Could Harry be imaging the emphasis Zayn had placed on those words? Maybe. Hopefully not.

“Yeah, I’m Harry from last night. Or at least I hope so. Don’t know how many people Louis sees in a day,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Anyways, it was nice meeting you Zayn. Like I said, no big deal if I don’t see him right away. It wasn’t important.” 

“Well, I’ll still be sure to let him know,” Zayn offered up kindly. “It was very nice to meet you too Harry.” He eased the door shut and Harry could hear the volume of the music swell as he got back to whatever project he had been working on before.

Harry walked back into his flat. It wasn’t late per se, but it was late for him when he would be up before the sun the next morning. He decided that he would take his bath, lavish in the last of this blissful weekend away from the bakery, and hopefully feel refreshed and ready to get back to work in the morning. His heart felt a little lighter at Zayn’s emphasis on being a friend to Louis. Maybe Louis could be interested after all. He had mentioned Harry to Zayn, hadn’t he? It wasn’t something Harry was going to let himself dwell on right now. After tonight, it was back to the all consuming haze of work, and it would take a lot to pull his thoughts away from that. Still, in the recesses of his mind, there was hope to see Louis again soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Find me on twitter @flickerofhabit


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry deals with a grueling work week, but happily keeps running into his lovely neighbor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is finally here! So sorry for the long delay, I will explain more at the bottom of the chapter.   
> This chapter is mostly just filler with a little fluff thrown in, but I hope you enjoy!   
> If you do like this chapter, please leave kudos and comments!

A few days had passed, Harry caught up in the whirlwind of the bakery. He felt as though he had not had time to blink, much less think about anything beyond work. He was drowning in orders, which he would never complain about, as he was grateful for the business, but he was only one man. He let El mangage the till, but in all honesty she had no idea what she was doing when it actually came to baking. He was thinking more and more seriously that it might be time to hire another employee, one with some actual experience, that could help him to manage orders, and maybe take some of the overbearing workload away from him. He never wanted to get to the point where he was not hands on with his bakery, but at this point, he did not have enough hands. 

He spent his days in a never ending haze of work, starting before the sun, and dragging himself back home in the late evening, as he had been staying after closing to work on the influx of orders they had received. He was barely making time to eat dinner, before dropping into bed, and starting the whole circus again the next day. His flatmates constantly had a gaze of worry directed on him when he was out of his room, and while he appreciated the sentiment, he did not know how he would be able to break out of the fog of the bakery. The peace and tranquility from his birthday weekend was gone, and did not seem to have hope of returning. He was looking forward to Sunday, his only day off, so he could catch up on some sleep. 

On Wednesday, he trudged up the stairs to his flat, feet sore and aching from the long day. His hair, which he had pulled up into a bun for work, was a frizzy halo around him, the humidity of the kitchens making it want to rebel. As he finally made it to his floor, watching more of his feet than what was in front of himself, he began the walk down the maze of doors to his flat. He was almost home when his body connected with a solid mass, and he found himself stumbling to the ground. 

“Whoa mate, sorry about that,” a voice said from above him. He knew that voice. That voice had haunted his dreams since Saturday, and he had only hoped to be able to hear it again. He snapped his head up quickly, and yes. Louis was standing above him, looking remorseful. 

“Louis! Hi! No worries, I wasn’t watching where I was going. It’s good to see you though. Heading out?” Harry pulls himself from the floor, and wipes his palms against his trousers. He was being honest in saying that he was happy to see Louis, but why did it have to be when he looked like he was halfway to the grave? 

Louis was appraising him, most likely taking note of his disheveled appearance. Even still, the smile he gave Harry when their eyes met was filled with warmth towards the taller man. “Heya curly, good to see you too. Yeah, you caught me on my way to work.” 

Harry’s curiosity flared. “What do you do for work? I’m on my way home from my job, and it’s a pretty late night for me, where do you work that you’re just about to get started?” 

Louis laughed. “I’m a tattoo artist, I have a chair at a shop downtown. I get to set my own hours, and on Wednesdays, I usually go to see my family, so I schedule my appointments for later than I usually would.” 

Harry's heart only melts slightly. Obviously, family means a lot to Louis for him to design his whole work schedule around a dinner. It was nice to see another layer to the man that intrigued him so much. 

“That's so interesting! I have quite a few pieces myself,” Harry said as he pushed up his coat sleeve to show off a bit of the ink that was scattered across his body. “You’ll have to show me your work sometime, maybe you can do my next one,” he throws in with a wink. 

Louis colors, and oh. That’s new. Harry likes that very much. He wants to commit the rest of his life to making Louis blush just as prettily as he did in this moment. 

“Yeah, we can totally do that sometime!” Louis’ voice had taken on a rather high pitched tone. Harry hoped it was not due to the fact that he really didn’t want to talk to him, and he was just being polite. He smiled, a bit awkward feeling now. 

“Well, I’ll let you get off to work. I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” Harry scratched the back of his neck, beginning to edge down the hallway, closer to his own flat. 

Louis smiled. “I never think you're a bother, curly. Tons of other words to describe you, but bothers never one of them.” 

Harry’s interest was piqued. He wanted to know all of the words Louis would use to describe him, and he wanted to share his own words for Louis. He was burning with curiosity to keep this conversation going. But still. Another time. Louis was going to be late, if the frequent glances to his watch were any indication. Harry had to let him go. 

“Still Louis, I know you need to get a move on. No worries!” He tried for cheerfulness and hoped he succeeded. It looked like he had. Louis smiles as he tugs the sleeves of his coat down a bit farther, to cover up as much as possible before going out into the icy night. 

“Very well then, Haz. I’ll see you soon, yeah? Drop by sometime? Or I’ll just come by yours.” Louis spun around and began to make his exit down the hallway. He turned around when he got to the end of the hall and threw one last smile Harry’s way. And then he was gone. 

Harry floated into his flat. His best friends called out greetings to him, informing him that Liam had cooked since he had not been home, and that his plate was on the stove. He thanked them, and ate quickly before showering, and dropping into bed, mind full of bright blue eyes, and crinkled smiles. 

⚘

The rest of Harry’s week flew by, and before he knew it, he was closing the shop Saturday evening, happy to finally have a day's rest. He bid Eleanor a goodbye, and started his journey home. He determined when he got closer that he was not going to cook tonight, far too exhausted after his week to even think about stepping foot into the kitchen. He was thinking Chinese for tonight, and hoped that the lads would agree with him on that one. He was sure they would. He had made a huge pot of chili on Thursday, and they had both loved it, enough so that they were happy to eat leftovers for their dinner the night before. They knew if they wanted food like that more often though, Harry needed a break on the weekend, or he would make them cook for themselves. 

He always walks to work, even with the frigid temperatures that they had been suffering through lately. It gave him time to think, and to just breathe and have a moment to center his thoughts, whether it be before he goes into a hectic day of work, or if he is on his way home. Today is no different, and by the time he is turning the corner to the block where he lives, he feels a little more energized, and ready to spend the night catching up with his mates.

He crosses the street, trudging up the sidewalk, the stairs of his building in sight. He was so lost in his own thoughts, that he did not notice the body sidling up next to him, until his shoulder was jostled. He glanced up, and automatically grinned, dimples blooming, at the sight of Louis next to him. Louis grinned in return, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a way that worked wonders to make Harry’s heart melt. 

“Fancy running into you here, Harold,” Louis quipped as they trundled along the icy streets. He was wearing a woolen coat and gloves, with a grey beanie shoved onto his head. Overall he looked cozy, and so adorable, Harry felt his heart warming despite the frosty air. 

“Yes, fancy running into me in front of the building we both live in. Almost as coincidental as running into me in the hallway of the floor we both live on.” Harry smiles cheekily. 

Louis let out a huff, turning to start up the stairs to the building. “Real cute, Curly. How very dare you to take that tone with me.” He held the door of their building open to Harry, allowing the taller man to enter in front of him. “Are you just getting back from work?” 

Harry sighed, “Yes, I spent my afternoon putting together my Valentine’s menu. I like to do a few special items for the holidays, and so I was testing some new recipes too. How about you, just getting home from work? Or maybe getting ready to go back to work? I know our schedules are pretty different.” 

Louis smiled, “Yeah just getting back from work. I work the day shift on Saturday’s , it's my only night off other than Sunday. Friday nights are so busy, I just let myself have one night that I can go out with my mates if the mood strikes me.” They made their start climbing the stairs toward their apartments, mindful of the other people that were milling about in the lobby, and on the stairs. 

“Are you planning to go out tonight, then? Or are you just going to have a quiet night in?” Harry inquired. 

Louis suddenly looked a bit dejected. “Well, I was planning to go out with one of my mates from Uni, but his girlfriend came down with the flu so he cancelled. Zayn is out tonight too, so I guess I’ll just have a night in alone.”

Harry saw the opportunity, and grabbed it. “You could come over to our place! We’re just going to have a quiet night in, probably order some takeaway, and watch a movie. You’d be more than welcome,” He blushed as he finished speaking. What if Louis thought he was stupid for inviting him over? What if Louis had just been talking to him out of politeness, and did not actually want a friendship (or Harry hoped for more) with him? What if- 

“Really Harry? That’s so nice, I would love to! What time do you want me to come over? I can bring some beer with me, don’t want to show up empty handed.” 

Harry thought for a moment, “Maybe come over round 6? I just need to grab a shower and a change of clothes really quickly. I don’t want to spend the whole night smelling like a cupcake.” 

They had finally reached their floor, and were standing in front of their respective doors. Louis smiled at him, and unlocked his flat, stepping halfway inside. “Sounds good, Curly, see you then. Oh, and for the record, I think you smell delicious.” He winked, and shut his door, leaving Harry gaping in the hallway. 

⚘

“Lads, we have a situation!” Harry yelled as he frantically skidded into his living room. Oh god. It was so messy in here. Despite the hours spent cleaning over the weekend, the wear and tear of the week had left the flat cluttered. Niall and Liam came rushing into the room, a pillow crease on Liam’s face, and Niall still with a guitar strapped to his chest. 

“What wrong, H?” Liam’s eyes skidded over Harry, possibly checking for injury, or loss of limb. 

“I invited Louis over for dinner and a movie with us.” Harry looked around, trying to work out how he was possibly going to get the flat and himself presentable before Louis came knocking. 

Niall blinked at him. “So? Louis seems like a fine lad, I chatted to him a bit at your party, what’s the harm in having him come over for a bit? Plus, you obviously like him, so this works out for you. I don’t see what has you so flustered.” 

Harry narrowed his eyes, “The problem,  _ Niall _ , is that the flat is a mess, I am a mess, and I don’t have time to fix both of these situations before he arrives.” He felt like he was slightly hyperventilating at this point. How  _ stupid _ could he be to think this was a good idea. 

Liam stepped forward, hands raised in what was most likely meant to be a soothing manner. “Haz, it’s okay, just take a breath. You go get yourself cleaned up, and Niall and I will take care of this mess. Everything will work out fine. Louis seems like a nice guy, and I am sure he will not care if our flat is spotless. Just try to relax and enjoy your night, yeah? This is meant to be fun, not to give you an aneurism.” 

Harry inhaled deeply through his nose, and willed himself to calm down. “Alright, I will go shower super quickly so I can help you finish cleaning up when I get out if you haven’t finished up yet.” He turned towards his room, pausing as he went to push open his door, “Thank you lads, so much. I know I sprung this on you last minute, but I really do appreciate your help with this.” 

They both smiled at him reassuringly. “Course mate!” Niall grinned, “You know we love you to bits, we’ll do anything to help you get loved up.” 

Harry’s cheeks felt hot. “And on that note, I am going to go wash the icing sugar out of my hair.” 

When Harry emerged from the speedy shower he had taken, rubbing a towel through his curls, he noted that the living room did indeed look better. The lads had picked up the rubbish and clutter, and had even gone as far as to light a vanilla candle in the space. His heart felt mushy. He had the best of friends. 

Just then, the doorbell sounded through the small space. He tossed the towel back into his room, assuring himself that he would pick it up properly later on. He strode toward the door and opened it quickly. On the other side stood Louis, who had also changed his clothes. He now wore soft looking navy joggers, and a red jumper. Another new addition, one that may or may not have made Harry’s heart stutter in his chest, were a pair of thick framed glasses perched on his nose. His hair looked slightly damp, and he carried a six pack of beer in his hand. A grin graced his face, and Harry knew in that moment more than ever, that he was gone for this boy he barely knew. His crush was now crushing him with the weight of it.

“Hiya, mate. Hope I’m not too early.” Louis strode past him, already seemingly making himself at home. 

Harry swallowed, his mouth feeling incredibly dry. “No, of course not! Please, make yourself at home. We were waiting to order until you got here. Chinese okay?”

“Sounds perfect!” Louis called from the kitchen which he wandered in to put the beers away. 

Harry heard a door opening behind him, and turned to see Liam and Niall making their way out of Liam’s room. Niall raised an eyebrow in question, and Harry shrugged helplessly, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. How was it that when it was just Louis and him he felt no need to fill the silence, but now he had an overwhelming urge to continue to talk about nothing? Luckily, Niall was always a balm to social situations, making Harry and everyone else around him feel fully at ease, with no effort. 

“Louis, mate! Good to see you, happy you could stop by for the night. Hopefully you’ll team up with me to vote against whatever sappy rom com Harry suggests, and also veto whatever superhero movie Liam is whining for. I need someone in my corner for once.” 

Liam rolled his eyes, “Niall, you are literally the only person who would ever suggest a documentary about golf for fun, please do not act like your tastes are above us.” 

Louis laughed as he exited the kitchen, “Sorry Niall, I think I’m more likely to be on Liam’s side for this. But maybe Curly here could sway me for a rom com, we’ll have to wait and see.” He winked in Harry’s direction, and for a brief moment, Harry felt a fluttering of hope in his chest that this was not all one sided. 

After a full Chinese buffet was served and subsequently demolished, they all settled into the living room for a movie. Harry was snuggled up on one end of the couch, his favorite fluffy blanket tucked around him. Louis was beside him, though Harry did not know if it was by choice or because it was the only seat Niall and Liam had offered up for him. Liam took the other end of the couch, and Niall had sprawled himself across the loveseat, claiming his knee was giving him trouble, and he needed space to stretch out. They had finally all agreed to watch a new comedy that had recently come out and they had all heard good things about. 

The movie did seem funny, but Harry found himself getting distracted pretty early on. Louis seemed to be trying to focus on the film, but kept fidgeting in his spot. Harry was worried he was uncomfortable in their space, until he noticed him tugging on his jumper sleeves, seemingly trying to make them cover himself even more. 

“Are you cold?” Harry inquired. He, Liam, and Niall all seemed to run a bit more hot than the average person, so even though it was February outside, the flat was not overly warm. 

Louis smiled sheepishly. “A bit, yeah.” 

And well. Harry couldn’t have that. “Here, do you wanna share my blanket? Or- if that makes you uncomfortable, you can just have it and I can go grab another. I don’t want you to be uncomfort-” His speech was cut off by Louis sliding in close beside him, quickly taking up the offer of warmth. Louis snuggled into himself, and let out a contented sigh. 

“You're like a space heater, Harold. It’s so bloody warm under here. Might have to start taking you everywhere.” He flashed a flirty grin Harry’s way and went back to focusing on the movie. 

As the night progressed, Harry was having a wonderful time. He really enjoyed spending time with Louis, and especially when he was able to spend time with his best mates as well. No matter how much fun he was having though, he soon encountered a problem. Between the early morning, the few drinks he had partaken in, and the added warmth and comfort of Louis next to him under the blanket, his eyes began to close on their own accord. He tried to fight it the best he could. He tried to focus on the movie, it really was quite funny. But all too soon, he knew it was a losing battle. He let his head drift back, promising himself he would just rest his eyes for a quick moment, and then focus once again on the movie. 

The next thing he was aware of was a hand lightly rubbing against his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open, and suddenly felt very awake. He had apparently passed out, and in his slumber sought further comfort from Louis. His head was on Louis' shoulder, and Louis’ arm was wrapped around him, most likely trying to stop Harry from fully laying on top of him if he had to wager a guess. His face colored quickly, and he forced himself to sit up, away from the warmth of Louis’ body. Luckily, he had not drooled on him. That would have been the final nail in the coffin. 

“I am so sorry-” he started, but Louis smiled and held up a hand to stop him. 

“I wasn’t bothered by it Harry, you were obviously exhausted. I would have let you sleep longer, but the movie is over and I probably need to get into bed myself.” 

Harry glanced around him. Yes, the movie did seem to have finished. Liam and Niall were now playing what appeared to be a vicious game of FIFA, sharing the loveseat and not paying any attention to the two boys on the couch. 

“Oh of course, I’m sorry to have kept you,” Harry blinked hard, trying to clear the rest of the sleep from his brain. 

Louis had a soft grin on his face. “You didn’t keep me, I was a willing pillow. I just felt myself starting to fall asleep, and knew I needed to get myself to bed before it was too late.”

“Here, let me walk you out then,” Harry forced himself to rise from the couch. Louis bid his farewells to the other lads, who barely spared him any attention. Once at the door, the couple paused and turned to look at one another. 

“See you soon, Curly? I really did have fun tonight. Even if I did apparently bore you to sleep,” Louis’ eyes crinkled in the corners. 

“Yes, definitely. And you were anything but a bore. I’m just an exhausted old man, apparently. If anyone was a bore it was definitely me.” 

“You could never bore me, Harold. I find you utterly captivating.” And with that, Louis winked, and strode out the door, shutting it behind him. Harry locked it in a daze, and wandered back into the living area, where he tossed himself across the couch, face buried in a pillow. 

“Well,” Niall started. “One thing is for sure, he absolutely is interested in you. What I was witness to was not friend behavior. Someone has to at least like a person a little romantically to let them snore  _ that _ loud on their shoulder for the better part of two hours.” 

And with that, Harry pushed his head farther into the pillow, hoping to suffocate and subsequently punish himself for being such a deep (and loud) sleeper. Well, at least it seemed Louis hadn’t minded all that much. After all, he thought Harry was  _ utterly captivating.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, so sorry for the delay. My dad has recently found out about some serious health issues, so I have not had much time to focus on writing. Hopefully I will have the next chapter out sooner rather than later. 
> 
> Follow me on twitter @flickerofhabit


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